McAuliffe to raise money for cash-strapped DNC

Terry McAuliffe is set to host the Democratic National Committee’s major year-end fundraising reception, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO — making the outgoing Virginia governor and former DNC chairman one of the only potential 2020 contenders to raise much-needed funds for the party as it struggles for cash.

Appearing with DNC Chair Tom Perez, McAuliffe and his wife, Dorothy, will host donors at their home in McLean, Virginia, on Dec. 14. Tickets to the event are going for up to $33,900 per person. The veteran party operative, fundraiser and Clinton ally is set to leave office in Virginia in early 2018 following last week’s election of his deputy, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, to replace him.

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McAuliffe, who has promised to spend 2018 campaigning for governors across the country, is widely thought to be considering a run for president in 2020 after leaving Richmond with high approval ratings.

Aside from former Vice President Joe Biden — who headlined the party’s LGBT gala event over the summer — McAuliffe is the first major likely White House hopeful to chip in for the DNC. Other prominent party leaders considering 2020 runs have stayed far from the committee itself. (Another exception is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, a DNC member who helped host a party fundraiser during the committee's meeting in Las Vegas last month.)

Instead, most have been raising money for themselves, other candidates, or other party groups.

The DNC has fallen far behind its Republican counterpart in fundraising since the 2016 election as donors remain wary of the institution, and the number of high-profile figures willing to raise cash for the committee dwindles.

Appearing with DNC chair Tom Perez, Govl. Terry McAuliffe and his wife Dorothy will host donors at their home in McLean, Va. on December 14.

The organization itself has come under considerable fire from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — another potential 2020 candidate — and his supporters in the wake of 2016’s election, particularly over its handling of the primary. And recent controversies, including the publication of former Chair Donna Brazile’s book that accused the committee of being slanted toward Hillary Clinton during the primary, have further punctured the committee's public image.

All of that has made it even more difficult for the DNC to raise cash ahead of the 2018 midterms.

In addition to Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren made headlines this month by responding "yes" when asked whether the DNC had been slanted toward Clinton in 2016. She soon clarified that she believed there had been "some bias" at the DNC, though the contest between Clinton and Sanders was "fair."

People close to McAuliffe, who served as chair between 2001 and 2005, see his event as a potential catalyst for others to get involved.

“It’s easy to take shots at the DNC, but what we need is more of the people who want to be considered leaders in the party to step up and actually do something to make the DNC stronger,” said one Democrat close to McAuliffe. “Send some emails, host some fundraisers, do what you can to make sure Democrats have the resources to compete everywhere.”